Meeting Emma
by SarahShalomDavid
Summary: Andrea takes her daughter to visit Cassidy and Caroline after making a promise to them, the problem is that Miranda returns home early from the function that she had been attending that evening... but is it truly a problem?
1. Anda

It was just like any other ordinary Friday night, Andrea Sachs had to deliver the book to her boss' house whilst Miranda herself was at a function being held at a local art gallery.

Andy unlocked the door and made her way into the hallway, and just like most nights, two little red-headed girls were sat on the steps awaiting her arrival. She smiled brightly at them, "Hello Cassidy", she said looking at the little one, before turning to the other twin, "Hello Caroline". She would always switch which name she said first so that she could maintain a fair balance between them in every interaction.

"You brought her!", Cassidy exclaimed with excitement as both girls rushed over to Andrea.

Andrea placed the book down on the side before she turned to them and knelt down, "I promised you that I would, didn't I?".

Caroline and Cassidy both nodded as the two of them knelt down on the floor in front of the one-year-old child. The child was wearing a pair of jeggings, a pair of brown boots and a cream fluffy jacket. When Andy removed the jacket it revealed a cream, long sleeved top beneath it. The child had dark curls and brown eyes, she was smiling happily although slightly nervously.

"Caroline, Cassidy", Andrea said with a smile, "Meet my daughter; Emma". The woman nudged her daughter ever so slightly, "Emma, this is Cassidy and Caroline, can you say 'hello' for me?".

Emma smiled at the two older children in front of her, looking between the two of them, "Hello", she said quietly.

Caroline grinned, "She's so cute", the girl declared straight away.

"Would you like to come and play?", Cassidy asked the little one.

Emma nodded, taking the girl's outstretched hand and following her straight away.

"We brought some of our old toys down so that she can play with them", Caroline stated, "We put them in Mom's office so that she can play in there on the floor".

"Don't forget girls that we can't stay for too long", Andy highlighted to not only the twins but also her daughter as well.

"That's why we put the toys in the office in a box, because that way you don't have to go upstairs", Caroline said with a smile.

Andrea smiled brightly at the young girl and embraced her before they both followed Emma and Cassidy into Miranda's downstairs office.

Emma was on the floor with a doll in front of her, she was playing happily with Cassidy who was busy making a different doll 'talk' and 'dance' in front of the one-year-old little girl.

"Look Emma", Cassidy said with a smile, "Can you make your dolly dance too?".

The curly haired child nodded, "Dance", she said as she mimicked what the older girl was doing with the other doll.

Cassidy and Caroline both giggled at the enthusiasm of the toddler, they both seemed rather amused by Emma's antics which inspired her to be more dramatic with her doll dancing and singing.

The children's nanny knew that it was Andrea that was there so she did not worry about sending them back up to bed, as she had given up with that idea weeks previously. She now just waited until Andrea herself had sent the two girls to bed as it was much less stress, the girls did go straight to bed when Andy told them to as she left to go home.

"Here you go Emma", Caroline said softly, joining in with their game, "Would your dolly like a blanket so that she can be warm?".

Emma nodded with a bright smile, "Yes please", she said happily to the girl as she put her hand out, "You do it?", she asked, switching her hands to put her doll out.

Caroline nodded with a smile, "Of course", she replied before she took the doll carefully from the child and carefully wrapped it in the soft, warm blanket that she had offered the little one. The blanket was small and pink, clearly, it used to be a blanket for a real baby but had been used for dolls for a while.

When the doll was returned to her, Emma began to rock the infant and sing softly to it.

"Awww", Cassidy cooed, "She's so cute".

Andrea laughed and nodded, "That she is", she responded.

"I'm glad you brought her over Andy", Caroline said with a smile.

"I am too", Andrea stated, "Emma appears to be having much more fun than she would have had at home".

"Can you bring her back again?", Caroline asked with a smile.

Andy nodded, "Whenever I have the chance to then I will", she assured her happily as she observed Cassidy playing with Emma rather energetically with the dolls. Emma was spinning around with one and bouncing up and down with it.

"Can we keep her?", Cassidy asked with a grin as she looked up at Andy.

Andy laughed, "I'm not sure what your mother would say about that", she commented.

"Oh I don't believe that their mother would mind at all", came the voice from behind them.

"Miranda", Andrea gasped.

"Mom!", both girls shouted with excitement as they ran to the woman who was now stood in the doorway to her office.

Emma had stopped spinning and was observing the new-comer with a slightly tilted head, it did not take long before the little one had decided to copy the twins by running to Miranda with her arms up, "Mom!", she copied.

Miranda chuckled and knelt down in order to embrace both of her girls and now also the curly-haired bundle of energy that appeared to be mimicking her own children, "No sweetheart, my name is Miranda", she explained softly to the little girl who had decided to climb into her lap straight away.

"Anda", the little girl attempted making Miranda smile, it was close enough, she decided.

Both Caroline and Cassidy were giggling at the toddler's behaviour, they had not seen anyone take such a shining to their mother before but there was this little girl who had instantly decided that she wanted Miranda.

"I'm really sorry Miranda", Andrea said softly, "I... I didn't know you'd be home and the girls wanted to meet Emma so I said that I'd bring her by for a while whilst you were at the event".

"Don't apologise Andrea", Miranda stated, still kneeling on the floor with her girls either side of her and the one-year-old child in her lap, "Unless, that is if you are apologising for not bringing her whilst I was here and instead were trying to avoid me?".

Andrea didn't know what to say to that.

"Anda", the toddler repeated excitedly as she hugged the woman.

"Then instead, I would like to apologise for that then Miranda", Andrea eventually said with a soft but timid smile.

Miranda nodded, "Then you can make it up to me... us... by bringing her by more often as my daughter requested earlier", she said, clearly having overheard their conversation and having been there for longer than what Andy thought she had been.

"Of course Miranda", she said with a nod as she watched her daughter and her boss together. It somehow did not shock her that much when she witnessed Miranda begin to play with the three children and two dolls. What was a surprise was how quickly her daughter had taken to the older woman, usually she hid from people, mostly adults, but here she was, perfectly comfortable with Miranda and her children. Then again when she thought about it more, it should not have been a surprise at all, there was something about Miranda that made you love her, at least that is how Andrea viewed it.

"I didn't know that you had a daughter Andrea", Miranda commented with a smile as she sat back for a moment and observed the children playing.

"She usually stays in the Elias Clarke nursery when I'm at work", Andrea revealed, "Although today she stayed with a friend because I wasn't going straight to the office this morning".

Miranda nodded, it had been she herself that had set up that idea following the birth of her twins, and she knew that Andrea had not gone straight to the office because she had demanded that Andrea go directly to a photo shoot instead.

An hour passed by and they were still at Miranda's home, it was longer than what Andrea had planned and now Emma was beginning to tire. She was yawning and she had climbed back into Miranda's lap as they played. She was starting to slouch in the woman's lap and it wasn't long before she started to snuggle against her comfortably.

"I think I best get Emma home", Andrea stated quietly.

"Nooo", Cassidy whined, "Please can we keep her? She's so cute".

"Where is her stroller, Andrea?", Miranda questioned as she stood up very carefully whilst still holding the child as if she were the most expensive treasure in the world. Emma had managed to fall asleep in the Editor-in-Chief's arms, nobody would believe that anyone could possibly call the woman a 'Devil' if they were to see her with the curly-haired infant sleeping peacefully in her arms. "I'll put her in there as to not disturb her too much whilst she's sleeping".

"Oh, I don't have it with me", Andrea admitted, "I just picked her up from Doug's and I was in a rush this morning so I needed to get a cab at the last minute so I didn't take the stroller with me".

Miranda frowned, "Then how do you plan on getting her home?".

"On my lap in a cab?", Andrea suggested as if it were the most obvious question.

The Editor-in-Chief looked at her as if she had just suggested that Vogue was the best magazine in the universe, it was a look that asked 'are you for real?', "No Andrea", she simply stated, "That will not do".

"But...", Andrea began.

"You and Emma may stay here tonight, and in the morning I will send Roy to collect the stroller and the appropriate car seat for Emma", she stated as if she had not been interrupted, "It is simply not safe enough for her to be sat on your lap in a cab, I don't want to imagine what sort of dangers that could pose to such a young child".

Andrea opened her mouth with the aim to protest but instead found herself nodding, "Yes Miranda", she replied simply.

"Ya...", Cassidy began to shout which got a raised eyebrow from her mother in her direction, clearly concerned with waking the infant as Miranda then looked down at the sleeping infant who had now gripped her necklace in her tiny hand. Cassidy began to silently jump around and mime her excitement at the idea of Emma staying over.

Both women smiled at the child's antics as Miranda continued, "You may have the guest room opposite mine", she stated before leaving the room with the child in her arms and asking the nanny to set up the travel cot that she still had from when the girls were younger, the cot had been packed away and left in the back of one of the closets, it was, however, very clean as it was well stored.

"Thank you", Andrea said softly as she stood in the doorway watching Miranda put her daughter down to sleep in the travel cot. Both girls had gently kissed the sleeping toddler on the head and were now getting ready for bed themselves too.

Miranda brushed a stray curl out of the child's face before she tucked her in with the soft, warm blankets that she had gotten from her own bedroom closet for Emma to use.

Andrea smiled as Miranda stepped out of the room, switching off the light but leaving the door open, "You know, usually she doesn't like strangers, usually she hides", she commented, "Then again, she doesn't speak very much to anyone usually, other than me, not even my parents the last time we were in Ohio".

The Editor-in-Chief smiled, "Well maybe she is just one of the very few who actually like me", she stated with slight amusement although in her heart there was sadness at that concept.

"She's not the only one", Andrea commented as Miranda started to walk down the hallway.

Miranda froze on the spot before turning around, and with a slight head tilt, she asked, "What was that?".

"I... ", Andrea started to speak but just as she began two red-headed girls came round the corner, both ready for bed.

"Andy", Cassidy said happily, "Can you read us a story tonight?".

"Please", Caroline added with a huge smile.

"That's up to your mother", the woman stated straight away before glancing towards her boss.

Miranda nodded, "That is acceptable", she said softly, "I will meet you in the living room, Andrea, once you are done".

"No Mom", Cassidy said quickly, "You've got to come and listen too".

The woman rarely ever denied her children anything and so she simply nodded and agreed to the idea.

One story later and both women found themselves in the hallway once again, "Andrea", Miranda said softly.

"Yes Miranda", Andrea replied instantly.

"What did you say earlier?", she questioned.

"I...", Andrea hesitated, "I said that she isn't the only one".

"The only one that what?", Miranda prompted, despite knowing exactly what she had heard as she found herself wanting to be certain.

"That likes you", she revealed.

Miranda smiled, "Well that's good", she stated.

"Good?", she asked, following Miranda, "What do you mean?".

When Miranda stopped she was outside of her bedroom door, and consequently the guest bedroom door too, "I mean that it is good that you like me...", she paused, "because I find myself liking you too... although admittedly much more than I ought to".

"Well, in that case, I like you more", Andrea said with a smirk of amusement.

Miranda found herself chuckling lightly at the response, "Oh I doubt that my dear", she replied as she stepped forward before cupping the younger woman's cheek, "I doubt that very much".

"Don't be so sure about that", Andy said softly before taking Miranda by surprise. Andrea Sachs had moved even closer to the fashion queen before pressing a very light but loving kiss to the woman's lipstick painted lips.

The Editor-in-Chief smiled brightly as Andrea pulled back from the kiss, "I still doubt that, my dear", she replied before tugging the other woman close to her again and kissing her once more.

That night, the two women slept together in the guest bedroom, Miranda had decided that she did not wish to leave the one-year-old unattended in the bedroom in a new environment in case she awoke and was afraid. Miranda slept peacefully that night wrapped in Andrea's arms and that is how Cassidy and Caroline found them Saturday morning when they went to find Emma.

Despite being woken up earlier than she wanted to be by three children climbing into the bed after Caroline had managed to get Emma out of the crib, Miranda found herself wishing that she could wake up that way every single day for the rest of her life.


	2. Sticky Fingers

Later that morning, Cassidy and Caroline were both sat on the sofa with Emma sat in between them whilst they were reading a storybook to the one-year-old child. It would not be long before the little one turned eighteen-months-old but she was rather advanced for her age and both of the little ones were rather enjoying spending time with the child. They had already seemingly adopted her into their little bubble.

The two redheaded children were taking it in turns to read each of the lines of the popular fairytale whilst Andrea and Miranda made breakfast for them all.

"No evil", Emma said when they got to the part about the Evil Queen in the story of Snow White.

Caroline looked down at the child and smiled, "She is Emma, that's why she's called the Evil Queen instead of just the Queen".

"No evil", the little one repeated, "Sad".

The twin girls looked at the storybook and they realised what she was saying, the Queen did appear to be sad, "In that case maybe we should read a different story? Seeing as this book is being mean to the Queen".

"Mean book", Emma repeated.

"Why, may I ask is the book suddenly mean?", Miranda asked as they arrived in the doorway to the room, "You've been reading it all morning, what could you have possibly shown her in there that has deemed it as being mean?".

"Emma decided that the Queen isn't evil but she's just sad", Caroline revealed.

"She has watched Once Upon a Time with me quite a bit so she has a slightly different take on fairy tales", Andrea said with a smile, "The Evil Queen is one of her favourite characters".

"Do you not like Snow White?", Cassidy asked the younger girl.

Emma shook her head, "No", she replied simply.

"I can only imagine the fun it could be if we took her to D-i-s-n-e-y", Miranda commented with amusement.

Both of the older girls giggled at what their mother had said which caused Emma to as well.

"She doesn't know what that means, does she?", Miranda asked as she glanced over at Andrea who was also holding a tray full of food that she was placing on the coffee table.

Andrea laughed, "She isn't even eighteen-months-old yet, Miranda, of course, she can't", she replied, "She's laughing because Caroline and Cassidy are".

Miranda smiled, "Good", she said with a smile, she had known that the likeliness of her knowing the spelling of the word was slim but it was better to check.

The two trays were safely on the table, it was a mix of different foods that they could each choose from, and Miranda handed out plates for each of them so that they could choose what they wanted for breakfast. She also handed out the drinks that she had poured including the sealed plastic cup that held juice for Emma.

The storybook had been put to the side but Miranda could not help but look over at it and wonder if she could find a different version, one that was not as biased against the 'Evil Queen' as that one was because she knew that Emma would much prefer that. She had an image in her head of them all going to Disney World and the little one running up to the 'Evil' Queen whilst running away from Snow White, the mental image made her smile especially as there were so many people that thought that she herself was evil with names such as the Snow Queen and Dragon and yet that beautiful little girl did not hesitate to climb into her lap straight away.

Miranda was pulled out of her little daydreaming session when she was nudged lightly by Emma, "Anda? Anananana pease", she said holding out a banana to the woman.

Clearly, Emma wanted her to peel it for her so that she could eat it, Miranda smiled and took the banana from the child, "Can you say banana?", she asked softly.

"Anananana", she said before grinning happily and pointing at the yellow fruit.

Miranda chuckled lightly and unpeeled the piece of fruit for the child before handing it to her, "There you go", she said with a smile.

"Thank you", Emma said happily, but instead of moving back to where she had been on the sofa she opted to sit in Miranda's lap instead.

"I see you've changed seats", Miranda said with amusement.

"Anda", the youngest child said with a bright grin before leaning back against the Editor-in-Chief.

"Oh, if only Emily could see you now", Andrea commented, "I think she'd pass out".

Miranda had the one-year-old in her lap who was eating a banana but the child had managed to drop a piece of banana on the woman's designer trousers and also put a sticky handprint on her shoulder where she had nudged her in order to get her attention. Neither of those things bothered the woman at all. She was also eating a waffle herself with strawberries and chocolate sauce drizzled on top of it. "Yes", Miranda said with a slight smirk, "The dragon being slain by a one-year-old child with sticky fingers".

"Roar", came the response from the little one making them all giggle despite the fact that the child had not understood what the white-haired woman had said.

Andrea shook her head, "But you are so not a dragon", she said softly as she leaned in and pressed a kiss to the woman's cheek, "Although you have been attacked with sticky fingers".

Miranda dipped her finger in the chocolate sauce that was decorating her waffle and then, whilst Andrea was distracted talking to Caroline and Cassidy, she dabbed the chocolate sauce on the younger woman's nose making all three of the children laugh with amusement.

Andrea's jaw dropped as she turned to her fully, "You so did not do that", she said with slight shock in her voice.

"Oh, I so did", was Miranda's response before she kissed her suddenly on the lips.


	3. Tacking Me

Andrea shook her head as she laughed at Miranda's action before she leaned closer to Miranda and before the older woman knew what was happening, Andrea had brushed her nose over her cheek smearing the chocolate over her soft skin.

Emma got up from Miranda's lap, "Not get me", she said as she ran towards Cassidy and Caroline in order to scramble up on to the sofa whilst the two women continued to dab each other's faces with chocolate sauce whilst laughing. The two redheaded girls were laughing too, not only at their mother and Andrea but also at the fact that the little girl was hiding behind them both on the sofa.

"What should we do today, Emma?", Cassidy asked as she looked in the direction of the little girl who was still ducked down behind them.

"Play", Emma replied simply with a huge grin as if that explained everything that she was thinking at that moment.

Caroline smiled, "But play what?".

"We can play on the Wii? You can play sports games and dance with us", Cassidy asked softly.

"Yes", Emma said instantly as she nodded, "Dance".

"And we could watch a movie", Caroline suggested.

"Yes", the child said again, "Princess movie".

Cassidy smiled, "Who's your favourite Princess?".

Emma thought for a moment before she replied, "Elsa", she said happily before throwing her hands out much like the way that Elsa did when performing her 'winter' spells that created the ice castle, "Snow".

Cassidy laughed, "We can watch Frozen later then", she agreed.

Miranda rolled her eyes, "The girls were obsessed with that movie when it first came out, I lost count how many times I had to sit through it", she said softly to Andrea who had, at that point, stopped covering Miranda's face with chocolate sauce in a finger painting style.

"Emma loves it too so I don't know how many times that we've seen it either", Andrea replied with a smile before smirking, "And I don't know how many hundreds of times more you'll end up watching it in the future".

The white-haired woman groaned and rolled her eyes, although, truth be told, she did not actually mind watching it as it meant that she was spending time with her family. A family which had expanded in her eyes and that expansion was very much welcome.

"We could play dollies again too if you'd like", Caroline offered, "And we can have a tea party".

"Dollies", Emma said happily before looking a little confused, "Party?".

"She's never had a tea party before Caroline", Andrea revealed, "So she doesn't know what it is".

Caroline's eyes went wide, "Doesn't know what a tea party is?", she questioned as if it were scandalous.

Andrea shook her head, "The daycare that she goes to is very small so she doesn't interact with older children a lot and well... I've never had one with her so...".

Cassidy and Caroline rolled their eyes in unison before they both turned to the little girl who had remained seated behind them despite the threat of being dabbed with the dessert sauce being gone.

"A tea party is where you sit with your dollies and bears pretending to drink tea and eat food like a picnic", Caroline explained patiently to the child.

"We can have one now and show you?", Cassidy offered happily.

Caroline smiled, "Would you like to have a tea party now?", she asked her.

Emma nodded, "Party!", she said with excitement although not fully understanding what the two older children were talking about.

Miranda smiled at the three children, she was rather pleased that they all got on so well together and she looked forward to spending more time with them all. She knew, however, that Andrea and Emma would soon return to their apartment which was a fact that the Editor-in-Chief was not fond of so she was planning a way of which would mean that the two of them would stay with them in the townhouse eventually. "How about you go to your room and get the bears and dolls whilst Andrea and I tidy up the breakfast items", Miranda suggested as she stood up to collect the plates.

"Okay", her twin daughters said straight away as they each took one of Emma's hands in order to help her down from the sofa and to lead her out of the library towards their bedroom. There were enough bedrooms for them to have one each but ever since they were little they had much preferred to share a room. There had been one attempt to get them to sleep in their own rooms but it had not been successful as they had climbed in with each other during the night. The idea of dividing them into their own rooms had been an idea of Stephen's and not of Miranda's but the woman had allowed the idea to be put into place in order to encourage independence in the girls. She had, however, been a little reluctant as she was unsure as to how the girls would react to the separation and she discovered that her doubts were correct.

Andrea put her hands on Miranda's waist and tugged her a little closer to her, away from her task of collecting up the plates. The dark-haired woman cupped her cheek and pressed a loving kiss to her lips.

Miranda smiled into the kiss as she pulled her even closer so that she could deepen the kiss.

They did not pull back from the kiss until both of their bodies were screaming for oxygen and they paused for a moment as they simply took comfort in each other by leaning their foreheads against each other.

"We should tidy the breakfast things away before the room is invaded by a mass of stuffed toys and dolls", Miranda said with a smile.

Andrea nodded, "Okay", she replied softly as she moved away so that she could pile the plates onto one of the trays and take it downstairs. It was not long before all of the breakfast things were tidied away with the plates, glasses, and cutlery were all in the dishwasher.

When they returned to the library, they found a blanket in the middle of the floor along with a multitude of different stuffed toys and dolls sitting around the edge of the blanket. The three children came into the room a few seconds later with a box of old toys which consisted of fake food and a few different tea sets.

Cassidy and Caroline both sat down on the blanket and began to set up the tea party for them all.

When Emma said down with them she patted the floor beside her, "Anda!", she said with excitement.

"Yes, Dear", the woman replied with a smile, suspecting that she knew exactly what was being asked of her.

"Tea Party, Anda", the little one said as she tapped the floor again, "Party".

"Come on Mom", Cassidy said as she went along with what the child clearly wanted, she, along with her sister, was rather amused at how Emma reacted to their mother as she had taken to her so well and seemed to be very fond of the woman.

"And you Andy", Caroline added with a bright smile, indicating to the space between herself and Miranda. The only thing separating the human tea party guests was a mess of toys that littered the edge of the blanket.

Miranda nodded with a smile as she sat down where the youngest guest had indicated, "Okay", she said softly, "I shall join your tea party".

Emma's response was to simply throw herself into Miranda's lap, "Party", she repeated rather happily.

Andrea sat down on the blanket and smiled brightly in Miranda's direction, "You really like Miranda, don't you little lady?", she said with amusement.

"No", Emma responded with a shake of her head, "I love my Anda".

"I love you too", the Editor-in-Chief replied instantly as she wrapped her arms around the dark-haired little girl and held her close to smother her face with little kisses.

Emma started to giggle and squirm, "Help! Help", she squealed, "Anda tacking me!".


	4. Anda's Secret Surprise

Andrea stuck to her word and months later she was still taking Emma to see Miranda, Caroline, and Cassidy on a regular basis. They spent many evenings together which often resulted in sleepovers and they also spent time together at weekends with day trips to various places.

Miranda seemed to enjoy having a little one around again and she completely doted on little Emma, especially when she realised that the child loved to dress up which gave her the opportunity to dress her up in designer clothing like a little life-sized doll. Emma loved the 'Princess' dressed that her 'Anda' got her and she loved them even more when the woman placed a tiara on her head and declared her a Princess.

Following that initial evening, the Editor-in-Chief put new measures into place for Andrea that would benefit Emma such as shorter work days where the book would always be delivered electronically instead of by hand. The alteration in the delivery book also made it a lot quicker for her as it meant that she could forward the changes needed instantly and it definitely saved on post-it-notes too.

She also ensured that Roy picked Andrea and Emma up from their apartment before he went to the townhouse to collect her for work. This change meant that Emma could be taken directly to the Elias-Clark nursery rather than risk the issues that had arisen from Andrea not going directly there. Roy always had a car seat in the car ready for the young child so that she would have a safe journey. Miranda always insisted on the best and that included safety equipment for the child to travel in.

In addition to this, the woman found herself sneaking down to the nursery to spend time with the little one in her breaks, not that she had many of those unfortunately but it did become a pattern for her to have Emma in her office along with Andrea for their lunch break. Instead of only Miranda's lunch being delivered to the office, Andrea's and Emma's lunches were both added to the lunch order too.

" _I try?", Emma asked as she climbed into Miranda's lap, "Pweassse?". Her plea came with an opened mouth like a little baby bird begging its mother for food._

 _Miranda smirked slightly, the child had eaten most of her lunch but had not finished it, "How about I let you try my steak but in return you have to sit back down and finish off your lunch?" she offered despite knowing that no matter what she would most likely end up saying yes to whatever the child asked for anyway._

 _Emma nodded happily, "Okay, Anda", she replied straight away before opening her mouth again._

 _The white-haired woman laughed softly and cut off a small piece of her steak in order to offer her fork to the little girl, "Chew it carefully", she said softly as she offered it._

 _She simply nodded as she leaned forward slightly to take the bite of food from the fork before sitting back properly to chew it as she had been instructed to but she started to pull a face as she chewed it, clearly not liking it._

" _If you don't like it then you can spit it out", Miranda said with a smile as she grabbed a napkin and held it open in front of the young girl so that she would not spit the food directly on to the floor like Cassidy had done at her age._

 _Emma chewed for only a moment longer before spitting it out onto the white napkin, "Yuck!", she exclaimed straight away as she brushed at her tongue in a rather comical fashion._

 _Miranda smiled, slightly amused at the little one's reaction as she put the napkin on the coffee table and picked up the child's drink to pass it to her._

 _The little one took a few gulps of her drink to get rid of the flavour of the food that she had just tried, "Icky", she said with a scrunched up face._

" _Does that mean I won't have to share it then?", Miranda questioned with amusement as she hugged her assistant's daughter close to her._

" _I don't want to share that", Emma said with a shake of her head, "Too icky". "We can share mine i'stead, you want a googone?", she asked her referring to the goujons that were on her own plate._

 _Miranda smiled, "That's okay, I don't think I'll have any room when I finished my steak, so how about your eat your goujons?", she suggested as she encouraged the little one to sit back down to continue eating her lunch._

" _Share", Emma said with a big smile as she offered up a goujon for Miranda to 'try'._

" _You eat it sweetheart", the Editor-in-Chief tried._

 _Emma shook her head, "Try?", she offered as she continued to hold the piece of food out to the woman._

 _Miranda smiled brightly and leaned forward so that she could take a small bite of the chicken goujon that the little one was offering her, "Yummy", she declared with enthusiasm, "That was very nice of you to share, can you finish your lunch for me now?"._

 _The little one absolutely loved Miranda and she loved her in return, the child had the power to bring out a much softer side to the woman but also, just like the twins, also managed to bring out a very fierce and protective side too. The woman was rather enjoying her lunch break along with Emma whilst Andrea was at a lunch meeting to discuss a possible job opportunity for the future. The lunch break gave Miranda the opportunity to close her office door and shut the world outside whilst focusing solely on the curly-haired girl that happily bounced around the halls of Runway and had the Editor-in-Chief of Runway wrapped around her finger._

 _So many people saw her in a negative way but the little girl that was sat in front of her had never seen her that way, instead she had taken an instant liking to the woman and almost attached herself to the Editor-in-Chief, not that the woman minded of course._

"Anda?", the little girl called out as she ran into the kitchen where the woman was cleaning up from breakfast, "Where we going?".

Miranda smiled softly, "Tell Caroline and Cassidy that I'm still not going to tell them", she said simply.

"Okay", Emma said instantly before running off to do exactly that whilst not realising that it gave it away that the twins had sent her in to ask.

"Even if they use your weapon of cuteness on me", the Editor-in-Chief mumbled to herself with a shake of her head as she put the last plate into the dishwasher and closed the machine door.

Once everything was cleaned up from breakfast and everyone was dressed, they were soon piling into the car where Emma was securely strapped into her seat with Cassidy and Caroline on each side of her as the car allowed the seat to be strapped into the middle safely and securely. It was easier that way because both of the older girls always wanted to be seated next to the little one so the set-up allowed a lot less arguments.

"Anda?", Emma called out, "You tell us yet?".

Miranda had seen her twins whispering with the youngest child for a moment before the question came so she shook her head, "It's going to be a surprise".

It took almost an hour to get there with the way that traffic was that day and by the time they arrived two out of three of the children were fast asleep. Caroline had been reading a storybook to Emma but it had sent not only the curly haired little girl to fall asleep but also Cassidy to fall into a slumber too. Caroline, however, was so engrossed in reading the book to them that she had failed to notice that her audience were asleep and instead continued to read for a further twenty minutes.

Andrea smiled as she looked over at the children, glad that neither had to drive with the chauffeur driven car service that they used as it meant that she could enjoy spending the travel time with the children and with her lover. The dark-haired woman's head was leaning on Miranda's shoulder as she watched the girls interact and as she listened to Caroline telling the story.

The two women were happy to sit in silence with the only sound being that of the one twin girl reading out loud as they sat with their hands linked together. Miranda pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her now ex-assistant's head and smiled as she leaned her cheek against the top of Andrea's head.

"We're here", Andrea called out softly as she reached out to gently shake her daughter's leg slightly to wake her from her slumber.

Both of the twins instantly perked up with excitement but Emma was a little slower in her excitement as she had been asleep for longer than what Cassidy had been so she was a little more dazed, which was normal for when she awoke from any nap.

"Where are we?", Emma questioned as she looked around and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"We're at the zoo!", the two older girls squealed as they were both fans of the place, they loved to go to the zoo and see all of the different animals as well as to play on the play equipment but most importantly of all they simply loved to spend the time with their mother. The fact that Andrea and Emma were going to be there too made it even more exciting for the two of them.

"Roar!", the little one said before giggling.

"Andy? Has Emma ever been to the zoo before?", Caroline questioned as Cassidy started to unbuckle the excited child's car seat.

Andrea shook her head, "No, this will be her first time".

"Are you happy with the surprise now girls?", Miranda asked the two older girls as they had hated the fact that she had kept the location a secret and attempted multiple times to get their mother to tell them, even resorting to using Emma to get the answer. A method which, unfortunately for them, did not actually work.


	5. Glah-see-all Pace

Miranda picked Emma up and went to put her in her stroller, "Nooo", she said pouting dramatically, "I don't wanna go in".

"Okay", the woman said with a soft smile, "How about you get into your stroller for now and then once we're inside then you can walk for a while?".

The suggestion did not appeal to the child either and she shook her head, "How 'bout carry then walk?".

Andrea listened to the interaction between her daughter and her girlfriend, not being able to stop herself smiling. The woman knew that her girlfriend would give in and carry Emma into the zoo as the woman never passed on an opportunity to hug the little one so carrying her was a perfect opportunity for that.

Caroline and Cassidy had gotten out of the car and were helping Andrea everything sorted for them to go inside the zoo.

"Okay", Miranda said as she scooped the little girl up from the floor and on to her hip.

"Awesome!", Cassidy declared, "That means it's my turn". Her declaration came as she launched herself into the stroller and then pulled the bar over her that clicked in and acted like a small tray.

Andrea shook her head and laughed, "My crazy baby", she said dramatically as she bent down and kissed the young girl's cheek.

Once they were inside the zoo, the first thing they saw was a huge statue of a lion roaring, "Roar!", Emma shouted before giggling with amusement. When she started to take in the sight of everything she went silent with only a gasp of 'wow' coming from her lips, there were so many things going on and she had never seen such excitement and activity.

In one direction she could see an ice-cream truck with lots of children swarming around it and some of them already bouncing from a sugar rush and covered in melted ice-cream. She could also see someone selling balloons as they walked around in a brightly coloured shirt but on the other side of them, she could see a cartoon tiger that stood at around six feet tall.

Emma screeched and attempted to clamber back up Miranda's body from where she had only just been placed on the floor so that she could walk.

Miranda picked her up instantly as soon as she began to panic, cradling her closely, "What's wrong?", she asked in a hushed voice as she whispered to her.

"I don't think she likes the tiger", Caroline commented as she watched the mascot that was, at that time, only about a meter away from the group of them.

The Editor-in-Chief turned Emma so that she could not see the dressed up employee and started to walk in the opposite direction of the apparently horrifying costume, "It's okay", she said softly in a reassuring manner as she sat down on a bench, "You're safe".

Andrea sat beside Miranda and tried to help soothe the child who had decided that clinging to Miranda would ensure her safety.

Emma's tiny little hands scrunched up the material of Miranda's shirt as the woman rocked her to calm her down.

It did not take long for Miranda to effectively calm the young girl down whilst the twins played with the stroller and Caroline pushed Cassidy around in a circle, spinning it in an attempt to make her dizzy. Miranda was rather glad that her daughter had not yet consumed any ice-cream or candy as she was sure that the girl would have thrown it up at the speed that her sister was spinning her around.

"Are you ready to start walking around the zoo and to see all of the different animals?", Miranda asked her patiently.

"Promise it won't follow us?", the little one questioned.

Miranda nodded, "If it follows then I'll have them fired", she stated in a way that left no room to argue and no doubts in anyone's mind that she would carry through with it.

"From a cannon?", Emma mumbled.

The Editor-in-Chief, "If I could get away with it then I would but I think having them fired from their job would be effective enough, don't you?".

Emma nodded, "Okay", she said softly, placing her trust in Miranda.

Andrea smiled softly at the interaction between the two, she was glad that they both got on well with each other so much and was always overjoyed to see how much love that Miranda had in her heart for the little one. To see the woman that she herself had fallen in love with being so doting and maternal towards her own little girl made her heart feel as if it were floating and strengthened her already strong attraction to Miranda.

Miranda stood up with the little one securely wrapped around her and encouraged them all to start walking.

"So, are you ready to go home to the ape habitat?", Andrea questioned.

"No, not home yet", Emma said with a pout.

Andrea laughed, "You don't want to go and live with the apes?".

Emma shook her head, "No, don't want to live with Irv".

Miranda burst out laughing at the little girl, "Oh, my darling, I would not allow that to happen", she said softly as she pressed a kiss to the girl's curls.

"Live with you 'stead?", she asked with a slightly tilted head and an innocent smile.

"One day my darling", Miranda confirmed with a bright and happy smile, "One day".

"Yay!", she exclaimed with excitement as they moved along to see the animal exhibit with the lemurs.

"I like their tails", Cassidy said with a smile, "And they look fun, can we have one as a pet?".

"I don't think Patricia would like that very much", Andrea commented, "She already has one little primate that swings off of her, I don't think it would be fair to add another to the mix".

Caroline and Cassidy laughed before the former spoke up, "We still need to get Emma a saddle for when she rides Patricia".

Miranda rolled her eyes, "We are not getting that dog a saddle", she stated simply.

"But it would make riding her so much safer", Caroline highlighted as if riding the dog was the most normal thing in the world for the littlest child to be doing.

"Despite what you all seem insistent on calling her, Patricia is not a horse", the Editor-in-Chief reminded them whilst trying to keep her amusement of the concept under control.

"Unicorn", the little one replied with a grin, "Prisha is a unicorn".

Both of the older girls burst into fits of giggles, the child had been calling the dog a unicorn repeatedly due to the fact that one of the pranks that the twins got her involved in resulted in a cone being attached to the dog's head which made her look like a unicorn, especially when taking into account the glitter that had been sprayed all over the dog's fur.

"Look Emma!", Caroline called out after a moment, "There's a butterfly garden".

Emma was almost bouncing in Miranda's arms when she heard what the older child was telling her, "Pweaaaaaaaaaaase Anda?", she asked her pointing at the entrance to the butterfly garden. The huge tent-like arena had a beautifully painted entrance way which was covered with a large variety of different butterflies all over it as well as the word 'butterfly' written in a multitude of different languages.

"You want to go and see the butterflies?", Miranda questioned with a smile as they began to walk towards the exhibit.

"Butt flies", Emma said excitedly with a nod, "Butt flies!".

"ButtERflies", Miranda replied, correcting her patiently and quietly.

"Butt-ERH-flies", the little one repeated with a little extra emphasis on the middle part of the word.

Miranda smiled brightly, "Good girl", she said softly.

Cassidy got out of the stroller as it had to be left outside of the exhibit in case any of the butterflies attempted an escape using a child's pram as a mode of transport. Emma was placed on the floor so that she could walk through the exhibit as she held on to the hands of each of the older girls.

Andrea and Miranda were both half a dozen steps behind the excited children who were eager to go inside, there was a small queue to get inside because there appeared to be a limit as to how many people could be inside the exhibit at once so that the butterflies would not be disturbed too much.

Emma was jumping up and down as she held on to their hands making both girls giggle, "Urgh", the little girl groaned as she threw her head back dramatically before rolling her eyes as she said, "By all means move at a glahs-see-all pace".

The two redheaded twins looked down at the little girl with wide eyes before glancing between her and their mother in surprise.

"Glacial pace?", Andrea questioned as her eyes sparkled with amusement as she looked in Miranda's direction, "Really? Are you sure she isn't yours?".

"Well...", Miranda said softly, "They are going at a glacial pace and you know how much that thrills us".

Cassidy and Caroline could not stop giggling whilst quite a few people around them also seemed to find it amusing.


	6. The Daycare Issue

It had been almost a month since the family of five had gone to the zoo and spent the day visiting the various animal exhibits. The sun was shining brightly in the sky despite the coldness in the air and Miranda was sat at her desk working as normal. She had been at her desk for an hour already and everything seemed to be going well.

Andrea had travelled the night before to the Hamptons in order to interview a new up and coming designer that focused on animal-friendly, vegan clothing as there was due to be an animal rights issue for Runway. There had been a tip-off that Vogue was planning to do one and so Miranda had opted to get in first with an article for Runway. The tip-off had come from an ex-employee who had taken a job at Vogue but remained loyal to Miranda. She had only taken the job over at the rival magazine because the job that she wanted was not available to Runway but by the time that it was she was doing so well at Vogue that she had been promoted up a level from her original position.

Miranda had offered to take care of Emma whilst Andrea was away as soon as the article was offered to the younger woman. The idea of looking after Emma overnight for one, possibly two nights was rather appealing to the woman as she loved to spend time with the little girl, although, admittedly, it would have been even better to also have Andrea there with them. The mother and daughter had spent a lot of time at the townhouse with Miranda and the girls but were yet to move in officially with them.

The plan was for Andrea to travel up early as the designer had wanted to go for brunch but also she had a lot of different things to show Andrea as well as the actual interview that had to be carried out. Miranda suggested that rather than having to rush back that her assistant stays at their family vacation home in the Hamptons that night too.

Suddenly, Miranda heard her name being screamed, well to be precise she heard the word 'Anda' being screamed very loudly as it echoed throughout the hallways of Runway. The Editor-in-Chief stood up and rushed from her office as a panicked member of the Elias-Clark daycare team came running towards her office.

The daycare worker had Emma in her arms and Miranda scooped her up straight away, pulling her close to her and visually checking her for any form of injury, "What happened?", she questioned.

"She was playing in the playhouse with some of the other children and one of the little boys bit her when she picked up the doll that he wanted", the young woman explained, "She started to scream for you straight away so I thought it would be best to bring her to you".

"I want the other child suspended from the daycare until he learns that biting is not acceptable behaviour", Miranda stated in a tone that left no room for any arguments at all, "I will not stand for such behaviour". "I should be able to leave my child in your care and know that she is safe", the Editor-in-Chief highlighted, "I trust that the suspension will be effective by the time Emma attends tomorrow".

The young woman nodded, "Yes, Miranda", she said softly, "I will make sure that it happens".

Miranda carefully wiped the area where she could see the small bite mark on the girl's arm using a tissue that she had taken from her assistant's desk, "She will remain with me for the rest of the day", she stated, "That's all".

Instantly the Elias-Clark employee knew she was being dismissed so she simply nodded and quickly left the area in order to get back to the daycare centre.

"Shhh", Miranda whispered, "It's okay, he won't come near you again, I promise you that".

"He bited me Anda", she said between small sobs and sniffles, "He tried to eat me".

Miranda pressed a soft kiss to the little girl's cheek, "He won't be doing it again", she replied, "You'll be staying with me for the rest of the day, first I have some paperwork to do but then I have a meeting with Irv..".

"Icky", Emma said as she pulled a face that showed her disgust.

"Yes", she agreed, "Icky Irv".

The assistant that was sat at the desk outside of Miranda's office could not help but laugh.

Miranda did not comment on the laughter as she found the little girl's comment to be rather amusing as well, "After the meeting then I have lunch with Donatella but once we've had lunch then we can go home early".

"Tella!", Emma exclaimed with excitement, the little girl was rather fond of the eccentric Italian woman and Donatella seemed to be rather fond of her too. Donatella always brought gifts with her from her Young Versace range and she loved to see the child dressed up in them, especially new designs that had not yet been determined to be a part of any collection. Gifting Emma with new designs meant that Donatella got to see them on a little model without having to release the clothing publicly and it also meant that she could do it in a way that meant Miranda was paying attention to the childrenswear collections as well as the usual adult ones. Donatella treated Emma in the same way as she did both Caroline and Cassidy, seeing her, like many other people now did, as Miranda's third daughter. She was no longer just Andrea's as Miranda had willingly and rather enthusiastically taken on a parenting role in the child's life just like Andrea had done with the two redheaded twins.

"Yes", Miranda confirmed, "Lunch with 'Tella' will be at that Italian restaurant that she likes".

"I like it too", Emma said with a slight pout.

"Oh, I know you do", Miranda said with a slight chuckle before pressing a kiss to the child's forehead.

Emma snuggled up against the Editor-in-Chief as the woman's arms were securely wrapped around her, holding her close in a protective and supportive motion. The little girl had calmed down substantially since being brought up to the Runway floor by the daycare worker.

"Emily", Miranda said softly, "I need my coffee and a small hot chocolate, then I need you to get the photos from that shoot the other day". "Then whilst I'm in the meeting with Irv you will phone Moschino and inform them that no, we will not be featuring that.. collection in the magazine", she said putting emphasis on the word 'collection' which highlighted her disgust with the concept of it even being classified as one, "Then call the photographer from that shoot last month and ask him to do the photoshoot in two weeks time". Her demands continued for a while before she said, "Once I have finished with my meeting with Irv, I will be going directly to my lunch meeting with Donatella so I expect you to meet me by the elevator with our coats and bags", she said in her usual quiet voice, "Then after lunch, I will be going home with Emma and not returning to the office so inform Nigel that he will be in charge for the remainder of the day". "Give Emily the book to go over tonight", Miranda stated without explanation, "I will expect it on my desk first thing in the morning". "Call Cara and tell her that she will not be needed for tonight", she requested, "Then tell Roy that he will be driving Emma and me to collect the girls later from school before we all go out for dinner to that pizza place the girls love so much".

"Pizzaa!", Emma exclaimed with excitement, suddenly a lot happier than she had been.

The assistant nodded, "Yes, Miranda", she responded almost at the same time as what Emma had spoken.

Emma sat patiently in Miranda's lap, snuggled up against her whilst she finished the tasks that she needed to complete in her office and then when in Irv's office she behaved there too. There was a slight glitch when he attempted to greet her and touch her cheek but that was not only on Emma's part as Miranda had given him an icy glare capable of freezing anything or anyone. Throughout the entire meeting with the weird balding man, Emma sat comfortably in Miranda's lap observing Irv as if keeping an eye on him, just in case he misbehaved in any way at all.

It was not long before the two of them were entering the restaurant that Miranda's assistant had booked for the lunch meeting with Donatella although now with a child's seat added on to the booking, "Good Morning, Miranda", the eccentric Italian woman said cheerfully in greeting, "And Good Morning Emma!".

"Good Morning", Miranda greeted in response whilst Emma did the same with a bright smile.

Donatella put her arms out to Emma, clearly wanting a hug from the little one which the child was willing to do as she happily went into the woman's arms. The Italian woman grinned happily as she hugged Emma tightly, "Oh, look at you, you're growing so quickly", she pointed out as she pulled back slightly to look at her.

The hug did not last that long because it was not long before Emma was returned to Miranda's lap where she remained for most of the dinner despite jumping between the laps of the two women as well as the highchair that she had been given so that she could see above the table and eat her food.

Lunch was a happy affair where Miranda ended up getting exactly what she had originally wanted from the meeting, although there was the assistance of Emma who at the time of the agreement had been in Donatella's lap playing with the woman's hair calmly in an innocent and extremely adorable manner.

"You should bring her to all your meetings", Donatella said with a bright smile as she said goodbye to the two of them after lunch.

Miranda smiled softly, "I will definitely consider it", she stated as she watched the woman embracing her girlfriend's daughter.

"You must bring her next time we meet", Donatella insisted energetically, "She is such a darling".

"I will try", the Editor-in-Chief agreed as she took back the child, "I shall, however, have to make sure that it is okay with Andrea".

Donatella smiled, "Oh, I am sure that it will be fine", she insisted, "She is yours too after all".

'Mine', the Editor-in-Chief thought in her head before smiling, 'I like the idea of that'. The idea of Andrea and Emma being her family was something that she loved. Emma being her daughter and Andrea eventually being her wife.


	7. The Cerulean Dragon

Miranda was in the bedroom that was on the same floor as Cassidy and Caroline's bedroom. The bedroom walls had been covered in a galaxy print with the main colours being a mix of different shades of purple and blue which had recently become Emma's favourite colours. The ceiling matched the design and when the room was dark then the stars would glow in the dark, although that aspect was invisible whilst the room was light and bright like it was in that moment.

The curtains were a shade of blue that matched the wall design and when closed they would block out the light from the outside. Miranda had even considered the view from the window and had colour matching flowers planted in the window box as well as putting a bird feeder on the window which allowed the person on the inside to watch the birds as they ate the offerings of seeds and nuts. In the window box, Miranda had placed a few different toy dragons and sprinkled glitter to make it look that extra bit magical as it had been turned into a dragon version of a 'fairy garden'.

The bed was the main piece in the room as it had been hand carved to look like a replica of a toy bed that Miranda had seen online. It was in the shape of a dragon which Emma had decided was her favourite animal in the entire universe after she heard someone calling her 'Anda' one during a trip to Runway. The dragon bed had been designed so that it matched with the room; a beautiful cerulean dragon with silver accents as well as a coating of glitter that made it glisten in the light. The bedding was a plain cerulean cover that matched the bed frame but it had the added addition of Emma's name being embroidered in a beautiful script-like writing which used a glittering silver thread.

The carpet was white and extremely fluffy in a way that made it resemble clouds so that the dragon would appear as if it were flying over the clouds. The closet was built in so the doors were painted to blend with the walls and there was a cloud shaped toy box to the side of the room which doubled as a bench and had a number of stuffed toys neatly positioned on top of it. It included a Paddington Bear that Emily had given her from her last trip to England, a toy dragon that Caroline had won for her at a school fair, and a bear that Cassidy had made for her at the Bear Factory.

Miranda smiled to herself, previously she had hated being called a 'dragon' but now she was 'Emma's dragon' and the little one was so happy and enthusiastic that she saw it as a positive thing. Emma saw dragons as powerful, beautiful, magical, and amazing so that was how she saw Miranda. The Editor-in-Chief found herself rather happy about that and no longer hated the name that she had been given despite the fact that those who often called her it was not referring to her in such as position manner. Emma's love for dragons highlighted her love for Miranda. The amusing side-effect of it, however, was that if anyone upset Emma or even said the word 'no' to her then she would plead with Miranda to 'breathe fire' although it did not take much begging to get the woman to show her 'dragon side' and go to the defense of the little one.

She went and picked up a carrier bag that she had left in her own closet before taking it back into Emma's newly decorated bedroom. Miranda carefully unpacked the small box before extracting the frame from within. She placed the photo frame on the small white, cloud-shaped bedside table and smiled as she adjusted it. The photo frame was from their trip to the zoo and it was a glass frame with painted butterflies on the edging whilst inside the frame was a photo of the family of five in the butterfly exhibit. Miranda was holding Emma's hand out and she was holding it still as a bright blue butterfly was resting on her palm.

Beside the photo frame was a nightlight which was one that detached so that it could be used as a torch rather than just a stationary light for the child. It was a cone shape on a circular base and was decorated with pink and purple fairies.

The Editor-in-Chief had taken a lot of enjoyment in designing the bedroom herself as well as filling up Emma's closet with the latest in children's clothes. Donatella enjoyed helping Miranda with Emma's closet by providing one of each item that was included in her Young Versace range in the latest season as well as a few items that had not made the cut for the collection so were not publicly available. Designers were loving the ability to send their children's range items to the head of Runway magazine for the little girl and so multiple parcels were arriving at the Runway offices with many of them being addressed to Emma with 'care of Miranda Priestly' written beneath her name.

She spent the next ten minutes ensure that everything was perfect for the little girl who had quickly captured her heart from that very first evening and now become a third daughter to her. Emma had managed to wrap herself securely around Miranda's heart that first evening when she opted to throw herself at the Editor-in-Chief without hesitance and every moment since made the woman love her even more.

"Anda!", the little girl yelled as she ran into the house, "Anda! Where are you?".

Miranda could not help but laugh as she stepped out of the room and made her way downstairs and in the direction of the shouting little girl.

"Anda!", Emma shouted again.

"She's coming Em", Caroline said softly with a brief roll of her eyes.

The white-haired woman smiled brightly when the little one yelled her name again but this time at the excitement of seeing her.

Both Cassidy and Caroline went straight to their mother and wrapped their arms around their mother as Emma launched herself at the Editor-in-Chief's legs. Miranda bent down to pull the little girl into her arms along with her twins, "Did you all have a good time?", she questioned with a smile.

The three children, along with Andrea, had been in Ohio with Andrea's family for three days and Miranda had remained behind for 'work' purposes, although in reality, she was staying behind in order to ensure that the bedroom for Emma was just right for the child. She did not want to trust anyone else with the project as she wanted it to be perfect for her 'youngest daughter'.

Her twins both energetically were telling her about the vacation but Emma was much more focused with the idea of burying her head against Miranda's neck, hiding in her hair, and relaxing into the woman's embrace.

After greeting children, Miranda stood up with Emma on her hip who had decided to cling to her like a little orangutan and she pressed a gentle kiss to Andrea's lips, "Welcome home", she said softly.

"Ewww", Emma said as she covered her eyes.

The two adults laughed before turning their attention to the child and covering her face with kisses, although Miranda's kisses left behind varied traces of lipstick.

"I have a surprise for you", Miranda said after greeting her lover and their children.

"Yay!", Emma exclaimed with excitement, "A surprise!".

Miranda nodded, "It's upstairs", she said softly, "Would you like to come and see it?".

Andrea noticed the look that flittered between the two older girls and it made her feel curious about it as it was clear to her that the two girls knew something that she did not know.

Emma was clearly very excited about the idea of a surprise from Miranda.

"Let's go then", Miranda said softly, she carried her and held on to Cassidy's hand as Caroline led the way up the stairs towards the floor of their bedrooms where they knew that they were heading for the 'surprise'.

On the white wooden door were four letters that had been cut from wood and secured to the door. The lettering was covered in glitter and painted purple.

"Look Emma", Caroline said softly as she pointed at the door, "That's your name".

"I have a door?", Emma questioned, "Oh, thank you Anda".

Miranda smiled at the gratitude that the little one was showing her, all over a door, "Oh, my darling", she said softly as she knelt down on the floor and put the girl on the floor, "That isn't your surprise". "This is", she said before she opened the door and nudged the child inside.

Emma's jaw dropped, "Wow!", she gasped in shock, "For me?".

The twins were both grinning, "Now you have your own room, just like Cass and I", Caroline said with a smile, "Mom thought it was time that you had one here".

"It's a dragon!", she squealed with pure joy as she ran to her bed and hugged the wooden dragon, "It's the best ever". It did not take long for the child to run back to Miranda, "Thank you, Mom!", she said softly but with pure joy in her voice, "I love you".

Miranda held her close to her and kept her arms securely around her, "I love you too, my darling".

Andrea watched on with tears in her eyes as both Caroline and Cassidy approached her. The two young girls wrapped their arms around her, "Andy? Now that Emma is calling our Mom mom too... can we call you Mommy like she does or Ma?".

"That is perfectly fine", the woman said with a smile as she looked over at Miranda.

"I love you Ma", Cassidy said happily and hugged the woman a little tighter.

Caroline smiled, "I love you Ma", she said at the same time.

"I love you too", Andrea replied, "So much".


	8. Yes

Miranda stepped closer to Andrea and wrapped her arms around her as their three children hugged their legs and waists, "I love you, my Andrea", she said softly.

"I love you too, my Miranda", Andrea replied in the same way with a bright smile.

The older woman cupped her lover's cheek gently, "I... we", she said quietly, correcting herself, "Would like for you both to move in". "I know that you stay here more than you stay at your apartment but we would like to make it official", Miranda said softly, slightly nervous at the concept that her lover would say no despite knowing that the possibility of that was very slim.

Andrea smiled softly before kneeling down, "What do you think, Emma?", she questioned with a slight smirk, "Would you like to move in here?".

"Forever?", Emma questioned, "We get to sleep over forever?".

The little one's mother nodded, "Forever and ever", she confirmed.

A loud squeal came from the smallest person in the room as Emma jumped up and down with pure excitement and threw herself at her mother happily, "Yes! Yes! Yes!", she answered.

Miranda quickly put her hand on the back of Andrea's shoulder so that she could keep the woman stable and prevent her from falling backwards with the enthusiastic force of their youngest daughter throwing herself at her.

Andrea laughed and was soon bundled with the two older girls as well. Clearly, they were all excited about the two of them moving into the townhouse on a more permanent basis, despite the fact that Andrea and Emma had not been back to their apartment in the past three weeks. Both had plenty of clothing at the townhouse, especially as Miranda consistently brought various clothing items home for them so that their closets were gradually filling up.

The Editor-in-Chief knelt down on the floor beside them and pressed a soft kiss to Andrea's lips, "So... is that a yes?", she questioned with a smile.

The dark-haired woman nodded, "Definitely", she confirmed, "Definitely a yes".

Both women kissed each other lovingly and embraced as the three children continued hugging them both happily.

After a moment, Miranda pulled back so that she was still kneeling on the floor but in a slightly different position, "Andrea", she whispered, "My Andrea". The Editor-in-Chief extracted a small box from her pocket and opened it as she held it out in front of her as the ring shone from within. "You have changed my life for the better, you have changed all of our lives for the better", the woman said softly, "You have shown me more love than I ever imagined having in my life before and I have never loved anyone as much as I love you and our girls". "You have given me a beautiful, adorable little daughter and you have made this house a home", Miranda continued, "and you have completed our family. You and Emma were what was missing from our lives". "So, I have another question for you, my Andrea", she said gently, "Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?".

"Yes!", the woman exclaimed with excitement, "Yes! Yes! Yes". Her excitement was slightly above the child's level of excitement at the prospect of moving into the townhouse. Andrea threw herself into Miranda's arms and pressed her lips against her straight away, "Yes", she mumbled repeatedly against the woman's lips.

Miranda smiled brightly as she held the other woman close to her and kissed her back, she was happier than she had ever remembered being in her entire life because not only was the woman she loved and the little one who had become theirs moving in with them but the woman had also agreed ŧo marry her. She knew in her heart that it would be the last time she would marry because this time it was pure love and pure happiness; it was forever. She knew that she would never be able to let the woman go as she was the one that made her heart soar.

"I love you so much", Andrea said softly, although with excitement, "I love you, I love you, I love you".

"I love you too", Miranda replied with a smile as she held her fiancee and three children close to her. She placed a kiss to each of the children's heads, her family was finally complete.

The Editor-in-Chief loved being sat there at that moment with her arms around her family and theirs around her. She was happier than she thought was possible.

Later that evening, Miranda was sitting on the sofa, leaning back in the arms of her fiancee with their hands linked together whilst the three children were lying on the floor amongst a mass of mixed pillows. On the television, the latest children's movie was playing which seemed to be keeping the children amused but the adults were distracted with each other as they shared very light but loving kisses and traced their fingers lightly over each other's skin in an innocent manner.

A couple of months later...

Miranda had taken control of the wedding outfits, although not Andrea's dress, of course, so she found herself sat in a showing room with Emma spinning around in her latest Versace dress that Donatella had gifted to her a couple of days before.

"Are you excited?", the designer asked the little one.

Emma nodded, "I'm a flower girl!", she exclaimed excitedly as she had been telling everyone and anyone who would listen to her. Nobody could resist the excitement of the up and coming wedding that was due to happen in less than a month. The Queen of fashion's wedding was due to be the Royal Wedding of New York with anyone who was anyone attending. Those with invitations were over the moon at that fact and were extremely lucky to be able to attend the rather selective wedding. The list of people attending the actual wedding was much smaller than any other normal high-class wedding but the couple wanted it to be a smaller and quieter affair. The majority of the invitations that had been sent out were only for the after-party. Even being invited to the after-party, however, was a huge deal to anyone that was lucky enough to be able to hold the handmade and rather expensive invitations in their hands.

"Wow", the designer said softly, "That's amazing". "That's a very special job", the woman continued with a smile, "That means you need an extra special dress".

Emma nodded, "Auntie Jocelyn says I need a Princess dress because my Mom is the Queen of fashion", she informed the woman with a bright smile.

"A Princess dress?", she questioned softly, "Hmm... I think I have a few of those, would you like to see those?".

The little one turned and looked at Miranda who was sat on the sofa in an elegant manner, she appeared to be looking for permission from her step-mother.

Miranda nodded briefly with a small smile, "I think you need to try on lots of Princess dresses", she said softly, "Don't you think so?".

Emma nodded with pure excitement.

"I shall go and get them for you so that you can try on as many of them as you'd like", the designer said with a soft smile. The designer had produced three different dresses after finding out about the wedding but she had also altered four that she had already made previous to the news. Other designers had created dresses for the event too but Miranda wanted the children to be able to choose their own dresses or at least have some sort of input in the selection of the outfit so that they would like the dresses that they wore on the day. Each of them would have one dress for the wedding ceremony but then a second dress for the after-party reception too.

Donatella had already been confirmed as the designer for Emma's reception dress and the little one had helped the woman to design the dress in the Versace studio. Donatella had looked after the little girl for the day and spent time in the studio that day, the Italian woman absolutely loved spending that time with her.

It did not take long before Emma was spinning around in the front of the studio wearing a white dress that had a cerulean ribbon around her waist and cerulean butterflies scattered up the dress from the bottom hem of the dress. The dress had thick straps and a ball gown skirt to it.

The second dress was the same but in reverse, as it was mostly cerulean with a white ribbon and white butterflies, both dresses had glitter within the material and Swarovski crystals embedded in the butterflies that seemed to fly up the main section of the dress.

Thirdly was a dress that had thinner straps but multiple straps and it was not as puffed out as the previous two dresses but it still spun out a little when the little girl spun around in the space in front of Miranda. On one set of straps were multiple glitter covered cerulean flowers and the dress also had a split in the side which was backed by a cerulean material. It was clear that it was the dress as Miranda found herself smiling at the excitement of the little one who clearly loved the dress.

They had chosen the dress that would be the one that the little flower girl would wear as she walked down the aisle and Miranda found herself wondering how it would go when it came to allowing the energetic little girl to throw flowers on the floor. During a practice run she had thrown flowers all over the place in an unpredictable manner but instead of telling her off, Miranda had found it hilariously funny.

As the wedding plans came together, Miranda knew that her life was more perfect than she had dreamed of it being, "I love you", she whispered to her daughter as she tugged the child into her arms.


End file.
